NBC affiliate WPXI reports that the Pittsburgh Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police “has filed a civil rights grievance against the city, claiming officers have been order to undergo drug and alcohol testing that is in violation of their contract.” Union attorney Bryan Campbell describes the policy as “an illegal search and seizure.”

To which those not protected by Blue Privilege might respond: Welcome to our world, FOP.

Under the contract between the City of Pittsburgh and its paramilitary affiliate, police officers can be subjected to drug or alcohol tests only in three circumstances: When an officer displays signs of impairment on the job, fires a weapon, or is involved in a vehicle crash. The union’s complaint arises from a recent pursuit that ended in a car crash. Two officers who participated in the chase but were not directly involved in the crash were required to undergo testing.

Another blatantly obviousreason for police opposing public scutiny of their urine is that it could reveal the usage of such things as anabolic steroids. Police officers are no stranger to ‘Vitamin S’ as many of them have not only been caught using the rage-inducing hormones, but selling them as well.

Chief Cameron McLay insists that the terms of the contract allow him to require tests of all officers involved in a pursuit, irrespective of whether they were also involved in a collision. Union attorney Campbell suggests that the city is sacrificing the rights of his clients in order to protect itself in the event of a lawsuit: “They [the officers] don’t forfeit their constitutional rights to protect the city from a civil liability.”

Residents of Pittsburgh who are found in possession of small amounts of marijuana can still face criminal charges that “can cost [them jobs, housing, and leave them with a criminal record,” pointed out the Post-Gazette on November 17.

Criminal defense lawyer Patrick Nightingale, executive director of the Pittsburgh chapter of the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), points out that someone found in possession of a minuscule amount of cannabis will “still have to be fingerprinted, they will still have their offense recorded in a national database. They will still have a rap sheet.”

The City Council is considering a measure that would permit the police to issue a non-traffic citation instead of a misdemeanor summons for possession of less than 30 grams of marijuana or eight grams of hashish. This would result in a city fine of $100 and seizure of the contraband – in other words, it would offer a reduction in prohibition-related penalties while preserving the drug war infrastructure. This helps explain why the proposed city ordinance is supported by the Pittsburgh Police Bureau, whose personnel are seeking to retain their special immunity against the kind of drug war-inspired infringements of personal liberty routinely inflicted by them.